The Shapeshifting Detective is a full motion video game, meaning every scene is filmed with actual actors. You have to uncover one or more murders in the city of August over the course an evening. The game has Twin Peaks vibes with some Lovecraftian flavor on top. Multiple playthroughs are encourage because dialog choices do matter. Read more
To solve the mystery of Ethan Carter’s vanishing you have to make your way through a beautifully rendered landscape full of Lovecraftian inspired murder scenes that need to be unravelled. The stark contrast between the serene environment and dark twisted stories makes The Vanishing of Ethan Carter so memorable. Read more
When I came across the first rebel soldier, I decided to go for a silent takedown. That surely just makes them unconscious, I thought. I would not feel good at all about hurting rebels on my escape from a prison cell, as they are normally fighting alongside Luke and Leia against the Empire. The sound of breaking bones informed me that a silent takedown does not mean unconsciousness. There it was. I had killed my first rebel. This really did not feel good. Read more
Jetstream is a minimalistic roughtly 5 hour long puzzler. You have to steer an airplane to its destination by using or avoiding environment obstacles. There are 100 levels and various Steam achievements to test your skills. Beating each level will require a certain amount of try’n’error as well as clever use of the environment. Read more
Path to Mnemosyne is creepy two hour puzzler with a unique hand drawn aesthetic. The visuals are disturbing and claustrophobic which fits the tone of the story perfectly. Puzzles in the game are unique, never overstay their welcome and get trickier the further you get into the game. Read more
Looter shooter games like Warframe, Destiny and Anthem are extremely popular, and keep hundreds of thousands of gamers invested on a daily basis. Players seem unable to put the games down, despite the fact that they are always the same – rather simple – gameplay loops in the same – yet beautifully crafted – environments. Ultimately, this kind of gameplay boils down to shooting stuff to maybe get a random reward. This gameplay loop can be viewed as a stay-at-home version of casino slot machines. Read more
This game is narrative driven walking simulator developed by the creators of Gone Home. You are tasked with investigating what happened on a now abandoned space station. The story is carried by exceptionally well done voice acting and an interesting twist on how to rewatch recordings of the station’s crew and AI. Read more
AC:Origins is an excellent game with a great story and a very detailed recreation of Ancient Egypt around 50 BCE. But what really struck me were the details of everyday life. I was particularly impressed by the love to detail for the whole process of creating bread in a cone shaped mould. Read more
The introduction of exclusivity in the Epic games store in 2018 marked a turning point in PC gaming. Since early 2019, a sharp division in the formerly mostly united and smoothly running PC gaming world has been clearly visible. Read more
This a minimalistic yet beautiful line puzzler that will keep you in a zen like state for 1-2 hours. It is reduced to the max but the looks are very pleasing to the eye. Mechanics are easy to learn but harder to master at the later puzzles. Read more
11-11 Memories Retold revolves around two WW1 soldiers, one from Germany and one from Canada, that become friends although fighting on opposite sides in the meatgrinder of the western front in WW1. It is a story about the humans on both sides of the war and of how the war takes its toll on fighting and non-fighting alike. Everything is embedded in a unique impressionistic art style and a soundtrack done by a real orchestra. Read more
Subsurface Circular is one of those games that kept me thinking about the topics it touched long after I put it down. It asks questions about where AI and androids will take our human society; and if those deeply human questions about existence might also be asked by AI in the future. Read more